TSCRA names Williamson head of law enforcement

Williamson

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association (TSCRA) has named Scott Williamson its new executive director of law enforcement and theft prevention.

The position is responsible for leading TSCRA’s Special Rangers, an elite group of law enforcement officers who have extensive knowledge of the cattle industry and primarily investigate cattle theft and other agricultural crimes, though they are well-trained in all facets of law enforcement. In all, TSCRA has 30 Special Rangers stationed throughout Texas and Oklahoma who are commissioned through the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) or Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI).

The post also oversees more than 80 TSCRA market inspectors who collect data, such as brands and other identifying marks on 4 to 5 million cattle sold at 100 Texas livestock markets each year. Market inspectors report their findings to TSCRA’s Fort Worth headquarters, where the information is entered into the nation’s largest brand recording and retrieval system. The database is a vital tool for law enforcement when investigating theft cases.

The previous Executive Director of Law Enforcement Larry Gray announced his retirement following 37 years of distinguished service. That announcement spurred a search for the next chief law enforcement officer, which culminated with the selection of Scott Williamson.

Williamson was raised in Denton and graduated from Abilene Christian University. He has already served TSCRA for more than 31 years, where he started as a market inspector in 1987. He was later commissioned as a special ranger and has served in that capacity for more than 23 years. Prior to his promotion, Williamson was a regional supervisor overseeing 77 counties in the Oklahoma and Texas panhandles and Texas plains. He is dual commissioned through DPS and OSBI.

“Scott possesses exceptional talent in criminal investigation and has exhibited unparalleled dedication to TSCRA throughout his career,” said TSCRA president Bobby McKnight. “He has already established himself as a strong leader within the organization and I am confident he is the right person to take on the responsibility of heading TSCRA’s Special Ranger force.”

He has also been very engaged with the law enforcement community, maintaining close relationships with leaders at DPS, OSBI and many other national, state and local law enforcement agencies. Williamson has served as president for both the International Livestock Identification Association and the Western States Livestock Investigators Association, and currently serves on the Joint Terrorism Task Force headed by the Department of Homeland Security and FBI. He is also well versed in emergency management and most recently aided in disaster recovery efforts following Hurricane Harvey.

Williamson officially assumed the position on June 1, 2018. He and Gray have worked together extensively to ensure a smooth transition and no disruption in TSCRA’s law enforcement presence.

Additional staffing changes within the TSCRA law enforcement division are expected and will be announced as soon as possible to ensure the public remains informed of investigative resources at their disposal.